Bagdasarian Productions
Background: Bagdasarian Productions is a production company which holds the rights to Alvin and the Chipmunks and related intellectual property assets. It is owned and operated by Ross Bagdasarian, Jr. and Janice Karman. It is the successor to Bagdasarian Film Corporation, which was owned and founded by the late Alvin and the Chipmunks franchise creator and renaissance man Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. (also known as David Seville). Bagdasarian Film Corporation (October 4, 1961-March 28, 1962) Nickname: "Bagdasarian Had a Farm!", "B-A-G, D-A-S, A-R-I-A-N!" Logo: We see a black rectangle against a red background. The words "A PRESENTATION OF" (in white) are seen above it. Then the letters "Bagdasarian" appear one-by-one in rainbow colors with a purple dot above the "i" to the beat of the music. The words "FILM CORPORATION" appear below it (also in white). Variant: A earlier variant of this logo is in Black and White. FX/SFX: The letters appearing. Music/Sounds: A fanfare sounding similar to "Old MacDonald" that plays to the beat of the letters appearing. Availability: Extremely rare. Seen only on the short-lived cartoon The Alvin Show. It appears on the current DVD release The Alvin Show! after each of the three episodes contained on the disc. It was also seen on the 1990s Alvin and the Chipmunks Sing-Alongs VHS releases from Buena Vista Home Video. Scare Factor: None to minimal. It's a favorite of many. Bagdasarian Productions 1st Logo (December 14, 1981-1984) Logo: Only the superimposed text that said "BAGDASARIAN PRODUCTIONS" or "Produced in association with BAGDASARIAN PRODUCTIONS" to blend in with the closing credits. FX/SFX: None. Music/Sounds: The closing theme of the show. Availability: Rare. It was seen on the first season of Alvin and the Chipmunks, the 1981 Christmas television special A Chipmunk Christmas and the 1984 Valentine's Day television special The Chipmunks Valentine Special; the DVD of the show and the mentioned specials preserves this credit. Syndicated airings of Alvin and the Chipmunks update this with the 2nd logo. Scare Factor: None. 2nd Logo (September 8, 1984-January 28, 1989) Logo: Against a pink/yellow gradient background, we see Alvin, Simon and Theodore try to hold up the word "BAGDASARIAN" in silver "bubble" letters (Alvin, standing in the center, is only using one hand, and Theodore and Simon are trying their hardest to hold it up) as they stand on "PRODUCTIONS", also written in the same font. Over them is "PRODUCED BY" (or "PRODUCED IN ASSOCIATION WITH" from 1984-1987) in black. In the early years, the background is colored light cream. In the later years, a copyright stamp appears in black or white. Variant: After the closing credits of The Chipmunk Adventure, a still version of this logo slowly fades in. It's on a royal blue background as are the credits. However, there is a continuation to the copyright credits: the logo remains on screen for 8 seconds, then the entire logo dims, eventually turning the logo black and the background dark blue; then it dims to the point of making the background turn black. FX/SFX: None, in most cases. Music/Sounds: Same as the previous logo. Availability: Currently seen on Alvin and the Chipmunks on Teletoon Retro in Canada. The early variant can be still seen on The Alvinnn!!! Edition DVD box set from Paramount Home Entertainment. It also plastered over the 1st logo on syndicated airings of the first season of Alvin and the Chipmunks when it was rerun on Cartoon Network and Boomerang. It was last seen in the US when Cartoon Network reran said show in the early 2000's. Scare Factor: None, though it usually precedes the Ruby-Spears or DiC logo. The movie version, however, precedes nothing (except an MPAA notice on the Universal release), but the slow darkness here could affect the scare factor. 3rd Logo (September 9, 1989-1995) Logo: Against a pink/blue gradient background with many sparkles, the Chipmunks are seen holding up the word "BAGDASARIAN" in multiple colors. They are standing on the word "PRODUCTIONS" (in purple). Both words are written in two different fonts. A blue copyright stamp is written in the bottom left corner. The third "A" in the name loosens and starts to fall, so Alvin swings up his left foot to hold it back up in place. The Chipmunks then grin sheepishly at us as the logo "shines." Variant: Sometimes, the copyright stamp is not shown. FX/SFX: All the animation in the logo. Music/Sounds: Same as the previous logos. Availability: Seen only on later episodes of Alvin and the Chipmunks. Still seen on the current Paramount DVD releases of The Chipmunks Go to the Movies. Scare Factor: None. 4th Logo (November 15, 2011) Logo: On a black background is a frame involving the 1961 version of Alvin holding a harmonica in his hand while there's black silhouetted paparazzi behind him. Underneath him is the black text "bagdasarian productions". This is their print logo. FX/SFX: None. Music/Sounds: None. Availability: Was used on the game Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked for the Wii. Scare Factor: None. 5th Logo (Mar. 30, 2015-) Logo: In the closing credits, we see the word "BAGDASARIAN". Alvin's hat is placed on top of the first "A". Under that is "PRODUCTIONS" in a smaller font. FX/SFX: None. Music/Sounds: None. Availability: Appears on ALVINNN!!! and the Chipmunks. Scare Factor: None.